U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,376 discloses a known type of modular jack connector receptacle which is intended for mounting on a circuit board and which has conductors in the jack housing that are connected to conductors on the circuit board. Frequently, modular jacks of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,376 are used with circuit boards which in turn are contained within a housing that contains the circuit board and possibly additional electrical equipment. Many types of telephone equipment, for example, comprise circuit board housings having self-contained modular jacks with the plug receiving openings of the jack extending inwardly from one of the external walls of the housing.
Ordinarily, modular jacks of the type shown in the aboveidentified U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,376 can be used in such circuit board housings but under some circumstances, the circuit board housing must be relatively thin as measured between parallel panels and the dimensions of the modular jack may be such that the dimensional limitations for the circuit board housing cannot be satisfied. In other words, the modular jack requires a certain amount of space in the circuit board housing and the circuit board housing must be of unacceptable dimensions for some circumstances of use because of the limitations imposed by the modular jack.
The present invention is directed to the achievement of an improved modular jack which permits a substantial reduction in the thickness of a circuit board housing with which the modular jack is used. The invention is further directed to the achievement of the combination of a modular jack receptacle mounted on one surface of a circuit board which is contained in a circuit board housing of reduced dimensions.
A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises the combination of a modular jack receptacle mounted on one surface of a circuit board and a first panel which extends parallel to, and is spaced from, the other surface of the circuit board. The modular jack receptacle comprises an insulating housing having a mating end and a rearward end, a plug receiving opening extending into the mating end, the opening having opposed internal endwalls and first and second opening sidewalls. The housing also has oppositely facing external endwalls and first and second external sidewalls which are proximate to the first and second opening sidewalls. A plurality of conductors are contained in the housing in side-by-side relationship, each conductor having a contact portion which extends from the first opening sidewall diagonally into the opening from a location adjacent to the mating end. Each conductor also has a lead portion which extends to the rearward end of the housing and to the one surface of the circuit board. The second housing sidewall has a latching shoulder thereon facing inwardly of the opening for cooperation with a complementary latching shoulder on a modular plug. The combination of the modular jack receptacle, the circuit board, and the panel is characterized in that the circuit board has one edge which extends parallel to one edge of the first panel and the first panel has a lip extending from the one edge thereof towards the one edge of the circuit board. The lip has an internal surface which is parallel to, and adjacent to, the one edge of the circuit board. The modular jack is mounted on the circuit board adjacent to the one edge thereof and is oriented with the mating end extending normally of the plane of the circuit board and parallel to the lip of the first panel. The lip has a recess therein which is centrally located with respect to the plug-receiving opening, the lip constituting at least portions of the mating end of the modular jack. The latching shoulder of the modular jack is on the internal surface of the lip and in alignment with the recess in the lip.
In accordance with a further embodiment, the circuit board has a circuit board notch extending inwardly from the one edge thereof which is in alignment with the recess in the lip. The modular jack has a clearance notch therein extending inwardly from the mating end, the clearance notch being in registry with the circuit board notch thereby to provide clearance for a modular plug upon insertion of the plug into the plug-receiving opening.
In accordance with a further embodiment, a second panel extends parallel to the first panel, the second panel having an internal surface which is against the first external sidewall of the modular jack, the second panel having a flange extending towards the lip of the first panel, the flange having an opening therein and the mating end of the modular jack is in the opening.